Dragon bones

medievalmama · Mar 13, 2015

I'm wondering if folks think it's worth it to pick up dragon bones and scales. When I first started, I was like, "oooh, dragon bones, cool." But I quickly found that they were too heavy and provided not much gain. Am I missing something about the worth of dragon bones? Do you try to pick them up wherever you can?

JoeReese · Mar 13, 2015

I always pick them up. Early on, when you're not likely to need them, they're one of the few non-potion/ingredient items the alchemist will buy. A 3 bone/3 scale dragon can be close to 500 gold in one sale.

Later on, when your smithing is maxed, you can create and improve weapons and armor with them. Dragonbone is the heavy version, and dragonscale is the lighter version.

Mighty Pecan Pie · Mar 13, 2015

JoeReese said:
I always pick them up. Early on, when you're not likely to need them, they're one of the few non-potion/ingredient items the alchemist will buy. A 3 bone/3 scale dragon can be close to 500 gold in one sale.

Later on, when your smithing is maxed, you can create and improve weapons and armor with them. Dragonbone is the heavy version, and dragonscale is the lighter version.

I picked them up, and stored them

Or gave it to Lydia. Sworn to carry my burdens, them bones be heavy.

ChudMacGud · Mar 13, 2015

I always pick them up and take them to whichever house I keep my smithing stuff at. I wonder why they are so heavy... Like, wouldn't a dragon's bones have to be super light?

shadowkitty · Mar 13, 2015

I always pick them up and either store them or sell them. I always like to have some of each to make two or three sets of dragonscale armour and dragonbone weapons.
They are indeed heavy to lug around though, especially at low levels when you haven't purchased a house yet. But then in saying that, you can always find a chest that does not respawn to store them in until such a time.

THIS PLACE is great to store items when you are first starting out. You go past it on the way to Ivarstead and is pretty much a free house. Just make sure you store the items in the bedside table as it will not respawn and eat all your loot.

sticky runes · Mar 13, 2015

It takes a long time to get my smithing skills to the point where i can do stuff with dragon bones, so if i am killing dragons early, i will leave their bones on the floor somewhere easy to find, like near a town or dungeon entrance and collect them later. if i remember.

Kohlar the Unkilled · Mar 13, 2015

I must have them. Even if I don't plan to make armor and weapons later on, I'm just compelled to pick them up. With my last two characters, I've ended up bartering them for soul gems with Khajiit merchants.

Daelon DuLac · Mar 13, 2015

I agree with the others. I pick them up early until I get the dragon perk in smithing, then I make my stuff and only occasionally pick them up thereafter so that I can replenish my stash of dragonbone arrows.

At a certain point it really isn't worth it.

If you're not going to use dragonbone or scale armor or weapons, it's kind of pointless after a certain point although you can make some good cash early on by selling them.

Now I just take the gold and any interesting items the dragon has somehow ingested.

wiseman05 · Mar 13, 2015

I generally carried them, collected them, and sold them en masse at some poor poor merchant whenever I ended up having a stack of 40 or something of each. They're heavy, cumbersome, and not really worth that much once you're past lvl 35 outside of smithing and alchemy. But just the thought that you slayed a dragon, and now you're carrying parts of his carcass back to be sold is very appealing.

Anaora Of Pyandonea · Mar 13, 2015

I usually pick them up if i have a helpy helperton with me so im not overweight because those things are really heavy, and im usually always half way to my limit cause i do multiple quests. But they are really good to use when you get higher smithing for dragon armor, plus they go for a decent price. so when you get a helpy helperton i would suggest collecting them and storing them in a chest or if on pc have a housing mod like i used to have on morrowind.

JimmyS1985 · Mar 13, 2015

medievalmama said:
I'm wondering if folks think it's worth it to pick up dragon bones and scales. When I first started, I was like, "oooh, dragon bones, cool." But I quickly found that they were too heavy and provided not much gain. Am I missing something about the worth of dragon bones? Do you try to pick them up wherever you can?

I hoard every dragonbone I get so I can make dragon arrows which are the best in the game later on. Scales maybe, only because IMO the dragonscale armor, the light version, is the best armor in the game on a armor/weight ratio.

GlacialDoom · Mar 15, 2015

I always pick them up and give them to whatever follower I have, after which I will head to Breezehome and dump it all in the house chest. I keep saying that I will sell them or make some dragonbone armor, but I never get around to really doing that.

tealemonade · Mar 15, 2015

I'd say pick them up and always store them as soon as possible, or you're going to wind up not being able to pick up other things. Obviously, it's better to have them stored than to have to make sacrifices when they're on your person.

JoeReese · Mar 15, 2015

I stress picking them up early on, even though they weigh a lot, because that's when you need money most. You can carry a 15 lb dragon bone that's worth 500 gold, or a 30 lb iron armor that's worth 125. In low levels, when (for me, at least) the alchemist has what I need most but buys almost nothing, it's nice to be able to trade dragon bones and scales for potions and ingredients. IIRC, bones have a 500 value and scales have a 250 value, though what you'll actually get for it depends on your speech skill.

I made a whole lot of cash by locating a container near the entrance of any dungeons or caves I visited. Dump excess weight in and, if needed, make a return trip before completing the dungeon. At the end, take the high value items first, load up your follower, and come back for the lower value stuff as soon as you can. Or, invest in a horse and you can trudge over to him and fast-travel regardless of weight.

Swordslam · Mar 15, 2015

I always pick up dragon bones no matter what. The small amount of gold is worth it in my eyes, and once you get the ability to smith dragon bone armor, it becomes an extremely valuable resource.

Whitewolf2578 · Mar 15, 2015

Well for one thing they sell for good money, so why not stockpile them somewhere because I do agree they are annoying as heck to carry around. You can also make some decent armor with them, though I have only done like one piece and by that time I could get BS high enough I was already on Daedric stuff anyway.

Snake Tortoise · Mar 16, 2015

Always pick them up if I have space, but if my follower and I are both overburdened the dragon bones are the first to be dropped to make room for other things

Sometimes I sell them but if I'm at the point in the game where I'm killing dragons I've almost certainly got potions and enchanted rings to sell instead

For dragon armour/weapons you don't need that many bones/scales and if you've got a decent collection but not quite enough to make what you want it's fairly simple to fast travel between dragon spots to collect what you need

I'll add that with a build that isn't well suited to killing dragons I'll probably not throw any away at all. A character good at dragon slaying isn't that bothered because there's plenty more where they came from :Dovahkiin:

Wilhelm · Mar 23, 2015

I always pick them up. I may put them in chests and wait for the merchants to re-spawn their gold, but often I just have them lying about my house. Either way, if you're playing a character that uses weapons and/or armor, take them. If not, then sell them.

Chadonraz · Mar 24, 2015

I never pick them up anymore, because
a) their weight/value ratio isn't high enough
b) they're useless unless I spend tons of perks to get the smithing perk

Only thing I use them for is building the shrine of Talos in Hearthfire houses.

Snake Tortoise · Mar 24, 2015

Chadonraz said:
I never pick them up anymore, because
a) their weight/value ratio isn't high enough
b) they're useless unless I spend tons of perks to get the smithing perk

Only thing I use them for is building the shrine of Talos in Hearthfire houses.

True.

If I'm playing a character who goes past level 50 and I want to keep things interesting I'll usually take dragon smithing and then switch from light to heavy armour or vice versa. My current guy is an Argonian archer wearing light armour, but I think when I max out light armour (or near enough) I'll use dragon smithing for a set of heavy armour and I can then level that skill. Dragon smithing means I won't have to take any of the heavy perks like dwarven, but I'll have a great set of armour that will level heavy armour up quickly

Then again, for perk efficiency I may as well just use steel plate or chitin heavy armour- which will weigh far less than dragonplate.

Yea... very little point in dragon smithing now I think of it

Dragon bones

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